Owner could server jail time...

Well Dante the little sick dog that Mindy and Missy worked so hard on helping me save is on another round of medicine. That poor dog, just can't get the fluid to clear up in his lungs :-(

I spoke with the dog warden where we pulled Dante from and told him about how sick he has been and how when he started to feel better he acted like a jerk. I told the dog warden I couldn't neuter him yet b/c he is so sick. If a dog has kennel cough or is sick you can't give them vaccinations.. it is pointless. Kind of like getting the flu shot while you have the flu. And a dog really can't get fixed until they are updated on shots... around in a circle we go.. LOL!

I told the dog warden that he acted like a jerk and can be a bit "aggressive" So, I was unclear as to his fate. The dog warden said that the owners of him did have charges filed against them and have already had one court date to enter their plea. He said that best case scenario they get a huge fine but he was hoping that there was enough evidence for them to go to jail for 1 year. Wouldn't that be nice??

Dante and I had a bit of a falling out on Wed. He jumped in my car and when I asked him to get out he acted all "FU" and stood his ground. Not wanting to get bit, I said "Dante you suck!" and walked way to do something else. When I walked back around the car to see if he has gotten out, he had. I told him he was a bad dog for trying to bite me and he tried to bite me again. This time he got in trouble for acting like a jerk. He looked at me like "Oh geez, ok fine I won't do that." Ever since he has been ok.

When ever he gets growly I just pick him up. I think his big thing is he gets in trouble for something and then thinks after I tell him no that he is going to get beat up. So, I tell him no. He growls and acts like a jerk and I pick him up. Seems to be working.

He is also not allowed to sit in the furniture.. now does that happen when I am not at home I am not sure but furniture sitting is a privilege NOT A RIGHT! Just like a kid borrowing mom and dad's car... privilege not a right.

We will keep working with him and sees what happens.

Little Earl is doing GREAT in his foster home. He tried to mark twice Leslie, his foster mom said but he was told no and hasn't tried since. Apparently his big thing is watching TV. He sits in front of the TV and just stares.. LOL!

Mac got adopted on Saturday afternoon! YAY and Josie left Saturday evening for a foster to adopt home. It is with an older guy whose wife has been put in a nursing home because of her failing health and he is lonely. Seems to be going ok. Just one minor issue with her wanting to eat EVERYTHING that drops on the floor but they are working on it.

George FINALLY has someone coming to see him tonight. I think it is going work out great. I am so so so excited.

Um.. what else. Oh THANK YOU to Dee who adopted Sherman from me on November 2nd. Sherman was one of Sarah's puppies. Anyway, Dee helped save the newest member of the rescue family

Not sure I am keeping his name Weezer. I was think Marshmallow... he is a bit over weight and all white.. LOL!! Call him Marsh for short.. lol

Anyway, thanks to Dee this little guy is SAFE!!

I think that is all the updates for now....... working on getting 2 more JRT's to safety and working on getting an American Eskimo.. hopefully all can be saved!!

Thanksgiving....

You would think on a holiday I would have a day off from dogs.. LOL!!

Thanksgiving was good. We drove to Columbus to spend Thanksgiving with my husband's side of the family. On the way down I picked up Billy from his foster mom. He had a spot on his back and the vets in Columbus are SO SO SO expensive. Actually cheaper for me to pick him up and bring him back to my house then have her take him to a vet there.

Anyway, picked him up on the way down. When we got to my husband's Aunts house the babies were sleeping (his cousins kids). So, I left Billy in the car in his crate. We ate and the kids woke up so then we went for a walk with the dogs... my in laws dog, my husband's aunt's dog and Billy. Then Billy came in the house and played and played and played with his other cousin's GSD mix dog. Such a cutie. I think that the GSD mix was just excited someone wanted to play with her.. the other two dogs wanted nothing to do with her. LOL

We left after an hour or so because I had to get home to feed horses and take care of the dogs. That morning we did go on a 2 mile walk so at least they got out and ran for a bit.

Thanksgiving night I had one dog getting adopted who was in a foster to adopt home and Earl leaving for a foster to adopt home.

On the way back home from Columbus we passed a house that had FREE LAB MIX PUPPIES spray painted on a piece of ply wood. Of course today I drove to the house and talked to the people with the free labs.

Apparently the story is this... they have two female dogs. A small terrier mix and a larger mix breed. The large mix breed only has 3 legs. The women's son and his girlfriend bought 2 male yellow labs. The son's yard is not fenced YET and the girlfriend took off so she was left with both dogs. She didn't think that female mix breed with 3 legs could get pregnant because she only had 3 legs. I SWEAR that is exactly what she said!!

Apparently there were 8 puppies and only two were left. She has someone coming back for 1 on Monday. They were 10 weeks old and she did wait until they were 8 weeks to start giving them away and she made sure that only people from the area took one. She didn't want them going to far away.

I told her where I was from and that I would be willing to help her get her dogs fixed, the puppies fixed if anyone who took one needed help getting that done. I explained to her the importance, I gave her all my contact information and contact information for a low cost spay / neuter place... not sure if she will actually get it done but....

I talked to the lady about all her cats too. Told her that the spay / neuter place was having a discount on getting cats fixed during the month of December and I am sure they could help her with those too.

So, let me explain this house to you. It was a really nice house at one time, you can tell. It was made to look like a log cabin but isn't is a real log cabin. There are broken down cars EVERYWHERE, trash everywhere.. not bags of trash just like empty cans, boxes, ect. There are cats EVERYWHERE and I mean everywhere. My mom and I counted 6 and all we did was walk on the porch. On the porch there were empty Bub light boxes, one had a cat sleeping in it and one full Bud light box next to the front door. The windows had sheets hanging from them for curtains, some where falling down so you could see inside, sort of. The windows were covered in dog noise prints so they looked foggy.

There were probably about 5 green houses, the really nice ones with the glass not the plastic that were all falling down, doors broken off, there was a lot of trash around those... broken down lawn mowers and other pieces of equipment. It was about 2 in the afternoon and as we were leaving a guy came walking out of one of the green house with a beer in his hand. It was cold out and all he had on was a t-shirt and jeans. So, I am guessing at least one greenhouse worked?!


I hope the information I left for her about #1 the importance of spaying and neutering #2 what can happen to dogs who are given away for free and #3 my information, the spay / neuter clinics information all just sinks in and she is able to at least get the female dog fixed and maybe if we are all luck a cat or two.

It was really sad talking with the lady and standing on her porch. She just didn't have a clue but hopefully I helped. All you can do is share the information with someone right? The rest is up to them?!

Why Spay or Neuter?

If you think that just having one or two litters won't hurt anybody, this fact should change your mind: according to the Humane Society of the United States, 10,000babies are born in the U.S. on any given day. On that same day, however, 70,000 puppies and kittens are born. Match those two statistics up, and you'll see that there will never be enough homes for all the animals born in this country unless we all take responsibility for spaying and neutering our pets. Change begins with YOU! Spay or neuter your pet!


Spayed/neutered pets live longer, healthier lives


Spaying your female pet greatly reduces the risk of breast cancer and completely eliminates the threat of uterine and ovarian cancer.


Neutering your male pet prevents testicular cancer and prostate problems, and helps him avoid serious health problems like hernias and perianal tumors.


Males neutered at a young age are far less likely to develop dominance or aggression-related behavior problems, including possession and food guarding, territory marking (lifting his leg on everything in sight), aggression toward other dogs, and "humping" inappropriate objects.


Neutering your male pet relieves him of the constant urge to go out in search of a female in heat. Ridding him of his urge to roam could very well save his life, and save you from a terrible broken heart.


Spaying your dog or cat eliminates her heat cycle and the mess that goes with it. Also, females in heat often cry and howl incessantly, develop nervous behavior, and attract every unaltered male dog in the neighborhood to your yard!


Altered animals are generally more docile and easier to train


In the span of seven years, an unspayed cat and her offspring can produce 370,000 kittens!


In the span of six years, an unspayed dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies!

Flight to Ohio rescues 'puppy-mill' dogs

By Amy Worden Inquirer Staff Writer

When a Philadelphia animal-welfare activist heard that nearly 400 Lancaster County dogs had been trucked to an auction in Ohio last month, he saw it as a chance to call attention to animal abuse in Pennsylvania.

But because the dogs had crossed state lines, time was working against efforts to file cruelty charges.

So Bill Smith rounded up a private jet and flew off to the Farmerstown Sale Barn in Baltic, a rural village in eastern Ohio.

After combing the auction on Oct. 7, Smith and his group, including Pennsylvania SPCA agents and veterinarians, bought 12 Lancaster County dogs that they plan to use to show that abuse still existed at some kennels a year after passage of a tougher dog law.

When the group returned to Pennsylvania hours after the purchase, state SPCA officials prepared charges against six of the 12 Lancaster County breeders who sent dogs to the auction.

"The dogs were in absolutely deplorable conditions," said William Lamb, whose West Chester law firm will represent the state SPCA. "Based on the state of neglect of the animals, criminal charges were filed."

Pennsylvania kennel owners ship unwanted breeding dogs to Ohio to be sold - usually to other breeders - because auctions are illegal in the commonwealth. The Ohio auction, believed to be the first in that state of solely Pennsylvania dogs, was held two days before the major provisions of the stringent new dog law that Gov. Rendell signed in 2008 went into effect Oct. 9.

The law requires breeders to double the size of the individual cages for dogs. It also bans cage stacking and paw-damaging wire floors. Outdoor exercise is mandated and breeding dogs must be checked by a veterinarian twice a year.

The SPCA attorneys believe the breeders likely used the auction to reduce the number of dogs in their possession before the new law took effect, said Scot Withers, a law partner of Lamb's.

Attempts to reach Walter Peechatka, lobbyist for the Pennsylvania Professional Dog Breeders Association, were unsuccessful.

The dogs obtained in Ohio ranged in price from $200 to $650 and were picked out by veterinarian Cari Thomson of Schwenksville. She identified them as suffering from chronic disease and neglect, such as advanced periodontal disease and skin and eye conditions.

After the purchases, the group got back on the jet, which had been arranged through a Main Line Animal Rescue board member, for the 45-minute flight back to the Chester County Airport with the dogs.

They were whisked to SPCA headquarters in Philadelphia, where the animals were examined and documented - all within two hours of leaving Ohio.

Withers said time was of the essence.

"We got the evidence in another state and we had to establish the animals were in this condition at the time the people being charged were in possession of them," he said. "Otherwise, it allows a defendant to say, 'This happened after the dog left my hands.' "

For six years, Smith has fought against conditions in large commercial breeding facilities known as "puppy mills." He also has rehabilitated rescued breeding dogs.

"We knew we couldn't stop the auction, but it was a way to get abused dogs out of their kennels so owners could be prosecuted," Smith said.

Tracking identification tags attached to the dogs' cages and the animals, the Pennsylvania SPCA filed animal-cruelty charges against these kennel owners: Loren Nolt of East Earl, James Zimmerman of Ephrata, Nathan Myer of Lititz, Ella Mae Zimmerman of New Holland, Steve Stoltzfus of Gap, and John S. Fisher of Gordonville.

Their cases will be heard at various district justice offices in Lancaster County.

Reached by phone yesterday, Nolt said: "I have no comment on that."

Nolt sent 41 of the approximately 700 dogs reported in his kennel in July to the auction. The SPCA bought one of his bichons at the auction, based on what veterinarians on the trip believed were intentionally broken teeth.

The dog underwent extensive dental surgery this week.

Other breeders did not return calls seeking comment.

If convicted of the summary offenses, breeders would be subject to up to 90 days in jail and fines of up to $750. Regardless of the court penalty, conviction would provide grounds for revoking kennel licenses, Smith said.

"If we get one conviction, that person can't have a license in Pennsylvania for 10 years, and that could help hundreds of dogs in their kennel," Smith said, adding that he hoped the cases sent a message to other commercial breeders to take better care of animals.

Dogs at the Ohio auction sold for as little as $1 to more than a $1,000 for breeds that produce high-price puppies, such as English bulldogs and Bernese mountain dogs, said Mary O'Connor-Shaver, an Ohio activist who is leading a ballot-referendum effort to ban auctions in that state.

Calls to the Farmerstown auction house were not returned.

Lori Caball, a surgeon with Metropolitan Veterinary Associates in Norristown, which has treated hundreds of puppy-mill dogs, lamented what she sees as the "dispensable nature" of breeding dogs that produce puppies sold in pet stores.

"It's the product - the puppies - that they are after, so they don't spend money on health maintenance," Caball said

Sad turn of a events

Last week was a hard week due to some childish, uncalled for behavior. It makes you wonder why when you do a good thing are people so harsh... then you realize... I don't do dog rescue for them, I do it because of them... people just like them that are so harsh to things (people or animals) who can not defend themselves / can't speak out against the cruelty.

My little Dante who has been so sick and is finally feeling better is a perfect example of a person being harsh/cruel/not nice to a living being who was helpless and defenseless against it.

Dante was taken by animal control on a humane call. Not sure of the exact story but the dog warden said that he was living in a small cage, unable to stand, in his own waste. The volunteer who took them from the pound said he was VERY dirty and his nails curled like a curly Q. They were so long he couldn't walk.

Anyway, Dante probably suffered more abuse then just being ignored and now that he is feeling better we are having issues with him not acting nicely :-( I am really worried about what his fate might be. I HATE THIS PART!

It isn't his fault he might be a bit unstable. Some jerk person did this to him. If he was my dog I wouldn't be thinking about it this much but I can't adopt out a dog that I am afraid might bite someone. Hey here is this RIDICULOUSLY cute dog who is a bit crazy and if you are not careful will bite you. Please don't ever tell him no b/c he will growl at you and I am afraid he will bit. UGH! This sucks. I am going to talk to a trainer.. maybe he can help.

Oh and everyone keeps emailing me or asking about the Chihuahua... The C-section was scheduled for Wednesday. However, Tuesday morning Gloria went to go feed everyone their breakfast and Iris would not come out of her crate. She called and called. She reached her hand in and 3 puppies were there in the crate with Iris! She had them all by herself in the middle of the night, not a sound. Gloria said the puppies do not look as big as they did on the x-rays. Thanks goodness! But that poor dog giving birth for the 9 millionth time. At least we can feel good that she will never have to do this again, never have to be uncomfortable and suffer this way again.

I might also be getting a dog from the local shelter who is older and has a tooth that is badly infected and actually caused some type of infection that caused a whole right under eye.. like on her cheek :-( I think it might be a beagle JRT mix. I just feel sorry for her and no one else is going to take an old dog with a health issue and that is totally not fair to let her die like that so I guess I am getting a new dog in.. LOL!

Dante could really use your prayers now so that he realizes no one is ever going to hurt him or be mean to him again. I tell all my dogs that when I get them, I whisper in their ear... "no one will ever hurt you again, PROMISE" I am sure they have no idea what I am saying and I might be weird but at least someone has made a promise to them that they will keep.

Emails

I wanted to share a typical day of emails with everyone.... I will summarize every email to give you an idea of what I receive:

Email #1:

Found JRT in Dayton Ohio area. The women said:
".....I found a Jack Russell wandering in a street in my area of town tonight on my way home. I couldn't see that anyone was outside looking for it. I stopped to see if she would come to me but she was very shy. I came home and brought my daughter back with me and she was able to coax this little gem over to her. ... She appears to be an old dog. She is very gray around her muzzle. It looks like she may be getting cataracts and she seems like she might be a little hard of hearing. She seems thin. I don't see her ribs when I look at her but I can feel them easily when I pet her. I can also see her backbone a bit. She does not look emaciated like the dogs I've seen rescued on animal planet and her thinness may be due to her age because her hind legs still seem quite muscular. Her toenails don't look great but don't seem terribly overgrown, but could use a trim. She has one dew claw, however, that is completely overgrown in a complete circle. Her ears look very dirty, too. She also seems to have a couple small sores (as small as a pencil eraser) - one on her front lag and one that looks a little worse on her back. The one on her back seems like it might be open a bit and not completely scabbed over."



Email #2:

We found this adorable Jack Russell puppy in Akron, Ohio and so far have been unsuccessful in finding the owner. This is a very sweet and loving dog and deserves a good home. We'd love to keep him but we have 3 dogs already. My husband has secondary progressive MS and our son has Aspergers so we just can't take on any more. Could you please guide me in the right direction? Do you have foster care providers in this area?

We would greatly appreciate any help you can provide.


Email #3:

An email regarding one of my rescue partners foster dogs. Email #4:

The every Sunday Kill List with approximately 80 dogs from 3 pounds on the list. Some just puppies, some mom with babies, some are so skinny you can see every bone in their body, some look scared, others look happy that a human is just touching them in a nice way, some big, some small, some purebreed, some mixes.

Email#5:

An email from a 13 year old who wants a puppy.. I told him his parents need to contact us.. lol Cute!

Email #6:

Picture of one of my foster dogs from the foster mom

Email #7:

An application

Email #8:

Philly News Article: Flight to Ohio rescues 'puppy-mil' dogs

** I will post the article in a few days so you can all read.

Email #9:

Dayton dog that was lost founder her family. She is 15 years old and deaf and blind so she gets confused. They family was very happy to have her back and the lady that found her thanked me for getting back to her on what to do.

Email #10:

Someone that adopted a puppy from me wanting to get a friend for her.

Email #11:

Greyhounds need to be adopted or they will be euthanized.

Email #12:

Response back from a person that turned in an application.

Email #13:

Email back from a potential adopter about arranging a meet and greet.

Email #14:

message regarding vet paper work for a dog I helped place.

Email #15:

message regarding a 3 legged Weimaraner and a Blue Tick Hound that needs homes.

Email #16:

Someone needing to re home a 7 month old Fox Terrier puppy who she doesn't have time for b/c she works, had a 2 year old and lives in the country with no fence.

Email #17:

White Shepard beautiful dog at Cuyahoga County Shelter that needs home ASAP.

Email #18:

Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary Inc. update

Email #19:

Old Dog Days
Shopping Extravaganza & Open House
Friday and Saturday, November 27 and 28, from 10 AM - 4 PM
Sunday, November 29, from noon- 4 PM
The Sanctuary's Adoption & Education Center, 4681 Broadview Road, Cleveland, OH 4410

Email #20:

URGENTL There is a black lab in need of a home at the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter.

Email #21:

Dog with seizures needing a home desperately.

Email #22:

Rescue person in need of a large outdoor kennel run.

Email #23:

message from a foster home asking about getting their foster dog to the vet.

Email #24:

message from a person who just adopted a horse I had at my barn and took care of for 2.5 years. She was rescued from a bad horrible situation :-(

Email #25

a women is looking for a home for her sister's GSD. Her sister went into the hospital.

*********

I really didn't get that many emails today.. lol.. pretty quite but most Sunday's are. Monday and Tuesday are usually the days I get a lot more emails. I think people get back to their week day routine and either take breaks from work to look for dogs or realize they need to re home their dogs.

Mondays and Tuesday are usually pretty crazy too b/c the dog pounds always seem to pick up a lot more stray dogs on the weekends and since a lot of pounds are closed on the weekend the volunteers come to "work" on Monday and the pound is packed full of dogs. Most wardens will give volunteers only a day or two to move as many dogs as possible or.....

So, there you have it a sample of what I receive everyday. I am pretty particular about making sure I get back to everyone with in 24 hours. At the very least let them know that I received their email and will follow up soon.

I hear so many people complain that they email rescues and never hear back. I figure my rescue is small enough that I should be able to get back to people pretty quickly... I am sure the larger wider spread rescues get a ton more emails then I do.

It was funny when I was gone on my honeymoon I had 2 people answering emails for me. I gave them access to my email account... the one volunteer said she can't believe the number of emails I get.. LOL!! And the type of emails...

Ohio Revised Code 955.50

Dogs; regulations re sale; receipt; transportation.


(A) No person shall sell, offer to sell, or expose for sale, for the purpose of resale or receive for delivery within this state, or ship from any point within this state to any point outside this state, for sale to the general public at retail, any dog under the age of eight weeks.

(B) No person shall receive from outside this state, or ship from any point within this state to any point outside this state, for sale to the general public at retail, any dog that is not accompanied by a certificate, issued by a licensed veterinarian who is accredited by the United States department of agriculture and authorized to issue health certificates for animals in interstate commerce, certifying that the dog is sufficiently sound and healthy to be reasonably expected to withstand the intended transportation without adverse effect.

(C) This section does not apply to the transportation of dogs in interstate commerce by common carrier, provided that neither the point of shipment nor the point of receiving is within this state.

(D) No person responsible for the transportation of a pregnant dog to any point within this state or from any point within this state to any point outside this state shall be liable in damages for any injury to or illness of, or the death of, the dog or any puppies, whenever the injury, illness, or death results from the birth of such puppies during the time the dog is being transported.
HISTORY: 136 v S 256. Eff 6-4-76.